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CHOICE in Astronomy

“You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him discover it in himself.”Galileo Galilei

CHOICE is an education and outreach initiative of the AAVSO. It is a collection of informal, online short courses on topics chosen to help members of the AAVSO and others contribute more to science. It has two main goals. First, we hope to train participants to be better observers, analysts, researchers, writers, and advocates. Second, by improving the quality of our data products and making them easier to use, it will help astronomers and researchers best utilize AAVSO data.

2018 Course Schedule and Registration

Most courses are available to AAVSO members AND the general public. The fee for AAVSO members is $35.00. Non-members pay $60.00. Registrations are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Most CHOICE courses are four weeks long. They are run via the AAVSO web site using private forums and e-mail at a self directed pace. Participants should expect to devote 8 - 20 hours per week for reading, discussions, quizzes and exams. We offer a variety of topics, from introductory to very advanced, aimed at a wide range of participants, including digital, visual and non-observers. The courses are assessed on a pass/fail basis. Those who successfully complete a course will be provided with a certficate and it will also be included on their web site's user profile page.

One of the unique aspects of this program is that courses will be peer taught. That is, graduates of one course will have the opportunity to lead the next iteration of that course. Learning occurs best when done collaboratively, and for many, the best way to learn is to teach. Those who take this opportunity will be rewarded with an extra badge on their web profile. Those who agree to lead a course will also have the registration fee waived for one subsequent CHOICE course that they elect to take. So if a member takes a course and later teaches it, they will get a certificate of completion and two badges on their user profile.

All course leaders will have access to AAVSO staff for assistance and guidance as well as access to the course syllabus, PDFs and any other materials developed for the course. In short, AAVSO staff will take care of the technical issues (registration, course materials, etc.) while the leaders are responsible for guiding the students through the course and performing any assessments.

Course Topics

The AAVSO has identified a number of possible course topics that fall along one of three strands: visual observing, digital observing and variable star science. Specific courses offered will be based on demand and the availability of instructors.

Carolyn J. Hurless was the most active and prolific female observer in the history of the AAVSO, with a total of 78,876 observations in the AAVSO International Database. But that only scratches the surface of this remarkable woman’s life and career as an AAVSO observer, councilor, officer, mentor and ambassador. For more about this amazing woman's life, click here for her bio.